Episode 933 – The Land of Radiant Virtue Is Clear and Pure
>> The body of the pure Dharma-realm fundamentally neither increases nor decreases. It manifests according to the power of the Buddha’s great compassionate vows. The eras of Right Dharma and Dharma-semblance follow the course of all beings’ capabilities. In response, the Dharma prospers in the world with the Buddha-body of the Dharma-nature.
>> The land of Radiant Virtue has seven magnificent and pure aspects: 1. Adorned with various treasures 2. Pure and free from evil 3.Even and level 4. Precious ground made of crystal 5. Trees of treasure in lines 6.Golden cords bordering its roads 7.Precious flowers covering the ground.
>> The ground is made of crystal: This is because his mind understands clearly the causes that give rise to all things. This means that the various causes of earth, water, fire, air and all phenomena are all understood clearly and thoroughly; inner and outer states are all crystal-clear, thus he will attain the fruit of a ground made of crystal.
>> It is lined with trees of treasure: Causal cultivation: His spiritual practice in the causal ground to attain the cause of Buddhahood. Because of his causal cultivation of the extremely profound and wondrous, [the trees] are thus said to be of treasure. Lined with trees of treasure means that on the long Bodhi-path to enlightenment, the trees of treasure are in lines.
>> Cords made of gold are used to border its roads: This is because he upholds proper precepts. He accepts and upholds the rules and precepts without any violations. He upholds precepts and stays pure, like following the line marking a boundary. He constantly walks the Middle Way, therefore he attains the fruit of golden cords bordering its roads.
>> Precious flowers are scattered everywhere, and everything around is clear and pure: In the original causal ground, when, with the Buddha-mind, he entered the state of non-arising patience, he cultivated Brahma-conduct everywhere and was pure as a shining pearl. Thus he attains the fruit of precious flowers scattered everywhere; wherever he goes will be majestic and pure.
>> The land is pure in response to the cause of having an impartial and pure mind. The analogy of debris and brambles is in response to the condition of having a scattered mind and evil thoughts. The analogy of excrement and other impurities is in response to the effect of having a mind defiled by ignorance, doubt and arrogance. Pits and knolls are the retributions in response to flattering, crooked and jealous minds.
“The body of the pure Dharma-realm fundamentally neither increases nor decreases.
It manifests according to the power of the Buddha’s great compassionate vows.
The eras of Right Dharma and Dharma-semblance follow the course of all beings’ capabilities.
In response, the Dharma prospers in the world with the Buddha-body of the Dharma-nature.”
We are able to understand “the body of the pure Dharma-realm.” The body of the pure Dharma-realm is the absolute truth. It is the pure and undefiled Dharma. The Dharmakaya (Dharma-body) is without substance or form. We are separated from the Buddha by more than 2000 years, but the Buddha-Dharma still remains in the world. If we mindfully and reverently accept it, it is no different than if the Buddha was in the world. When the Buddha was in the world, He investigated the true principles of life and achieved realization of the nature of truth, which is inexhaustible and universally permeates the universe and all Dharma-realms. It is the pure Dharma that the Buddha [realized] when. He had completely purified His mind and awakened to the true principles of all things in the universe.
You cannot see the true principles, yet these abundant principles exist in the world. In the world, some people mindfully put the Buddha’s teachings into action and thereby gradually come to experience them. Some take the things which exist in the world and use them in a destructive way, thus harming the earth. We all intrinsically have the nature of True Suchness, which is fundamentally pure, but everything we come in contact with is matters of the mundane world. With worldly matters we incessantly seek [things], and the more things we seek, the greater our desires grow. These pursuits and desires result in a great deal of ignorance, afflictions and so on. We all intrinsically have Buddha-nature, but we are influenced by ordinary knowledge and external conditions. We are thus continually covered by ignorance and create layer upon layer of turbidity, filth and impure thinking in the world. This is our life.
In fact, the principles neither increase nor decrease. What increases and decreases is our understanding of them. In people’s relationships there is conflict, love, resentment or hatred, leading to opposition. This is [the mindset of] ordinary people who do not know that the true principles are fundamentally so pure; they are a pure Dharma-realm. These principles never increase or decrease. They are no greater in Buddhas. They are no greater in the state of Buddhahood than they are in us [now], since everything returns to the emptiness of the Dharma-realm. The Buddha’s principles are found in the emptiness of the Dharma-realm. They are there for us to make use of; it is just that we do not know the methods for applying the true principles of the Dharma-realm. So, the Buddha taught us these methods. Thus, we can say that as long as we apply them mindfully, they are not less in us ordinary people.
The body of the pure Dharma-realm does not decrease in us nor does it increase in the Buddha. This is a true principle of the universe. So, why are we unable to realize this? The Buddha followed the great power of His vows. With the great power of His vows, since Beginningless Time. His vows have always remained the same. His vows had never decreased. From the time He gave rise to that aspiration, He continued on like this, until He attained Buddhahood. After attaining Buddhahood and entering Parinirvana, it still did not decrease. This was the Buddha’s vow, the manifestation of the power of His vow. This is what we call attaining Buddhahood; He taught us with the physical manifestation of Buddhahood.
There is a story about a Bodhisattva born in an era without a Buddha. He was called Always Compassionate. This lay practitioner, Always Compassionate, was born in an era without a Buddha, and he did not know where to find the Buddha-Dharma. He often looked at society and the world, at how ignorant and deluded people were, and how unruly their actions were. Whenever he saw how degraded human ethics and morality had become, [he thought] there must be as yet unknown truths to serve as guidelines. Where would he be able to find this Dharma? So, he often cried. Whenever he wondered where the Dharma was, he would begin crying. So, his name was “Always Compassionate.”
One night in his sleep, an ancient Buddha suddenly appeared in his dream and said to him, “You were born in an era with no Buddha, and the Dharma is no longer in existence. It is already the era of Dharma-degeneration. The Dharma already no longer exists in the world. Nonetheless, the Dharma exists forever within your heart. You must earnestly respect your vows. Let your mind always return to your vows and practice of compassion and wisdom.” After waking up he realized that, “Indeed! The Buddha-Dharma must exist!” So, from then on, he put everything else aside and earnestly tried to quiet his mind. He went into a forest to seek the principles of nature. There he remained for the rest of his life. He constantly took the sounds of birds and insects as the voices that taught him the Dharma. This was how he spent his life.
The Buddha told everyone, “In this story, Always Compassionate Bodhisattva was me in one of my many lifetimes. I was born in an era without the Buddha-Dharma, very far away from the Buddha-Dharma, but my vows were nevertheless eternally present.” So, we can say that the great power of compassionate vows is present in everyone. Even if the Buddha is separated from us by more than 2000 years, as long as there is reverence in our hearts, the Right Dharma still abides in the world.
So, regarding Right Dharma and Dharma-semblance, “The eras of Right Dharma and Dharma-semblance follow the course of all beings’ capabilities.” As long as we have the resolve and capabilities to always accept the Buddha-Dharma and take it to heart, then isn’t this the same as the Buddha-Dharma prospering in the world? So, “In response the Dharma prospers in the world.” With our capabilities as sentient beings, as long as everyone is reverent, sentient beings will respond, so the Buddha and the Right Dharma will remain in the world. Thus, “The Buddha-body of the Dharma-nature” is intrinsic to all of us. So, in the end, if we can all remain mindful, don’t all things in the universe return to the principles in our minds?
The previous sutra passage says that the Buddha bestowed a prediction of Buddhahood on Venerable Kasyapa. His epithet will be “Radiant Light,” and his land will be “Radiant Virtue.” His lifespan will be very long; the era of Right Dharma will also be long, as will the era of Dharma-semblance. His realm will be very magnificent. So, the previous sutra passage states, ․”The realm will be majestically adorned, free from all filth and evil, debris and brambles, excrement and other impurities. The land will be level, without high or low places or pits or knolls.” It will be a realm of purity, very level and smooth, a place that is very dignified and majestically adorned. What kind of majestically adorned state is it?
The next passage states, “The ground is made of crystal, and it is lined with trees of treasure. Cords made of gold are used to border its roads. Precious flowers are scattered everywhere, and everything around is clear and pure.” The land of Radiant Virtue, the land of Radiant Light Tathagata, is very pure. It is a realm with seven magnificent aspects
The land of Radiant Virtue has seven magnificent and pure aspects: 1. Adorned with various treasures 2. Pure and free from evil 3.Even and level 4. Precious ground made of crystal 5. Trees of treasure in lines 6.Golden cords bordering its roads 7.Precious flowers covering the ground.
First, it is “adorned with various treasures.” There are so many treasures there that they are too numerous to count. Second, it is “pure and free from evil.” Everything is a treasure; everywhere you look everything is made of treasure. Third, it is “even and level.” The ground is very level there and paved with treasures. There is nothing in the least bit dirty. Everything there is pure. It is also very level. The fourth is “precious ground made of crystal,” which will reflect the surroundings. The ground is like a mirror; this is how pure and magnificent it is. So, “trees of treasure in lines” means all the trees there are made of treasure. Then “Golden cords border its roads.” Its boundaries are all bordered with gold. As for the seventh, there are “precious flowers covering the ground.” Imagine how magnificent that state is, and how comfortable!
The ground is made of crystal: This is because his mind understands clearly the causes that give rise to all things. This means that the various causes of earth, water, fire, air and all phenomena are all understood clearly and thoroughly; inner and outer states are all crystal-clear, thus he will attain the fruit of a ground made of crystal.
The ground is made of crystal “because his mind understands clearly the causes that give rise to all things.” How is he able to attain such a magnificent land in response? This too is because of his mind.
Remember what we said two days ago? Debris and brambles, things like this, pits and knolls, and many other impure things, are all a response to the impurities of the mind. Now this very magnificent realm is due to his mind being clear. This is due to the causes Venerable Kasyapa had attained through his practice in the past. He had rid himself of attachments, of ignorance and of delusions, so his mind was very pure, as pure as crystal. Thus, this is in response to these causes,
“the causes that give rise to all things.” All things are pure [in that land]. So, all things in the world and all phenomena have their causes, even the elements of earth, water, fire and air; all phenomena have their causes, and all these causes are principles. He understood all these [causes] clearly. So, he thoroughly understood all the principles. “The inner and outer states are all crystal-clear.” Whether the state of our minds or the outer state, these two states brighten and illuminate each other. This is our state of mind in spiritual practice. “Thus he will attain the fruit of a ground made of crystal.” The result is that he will attain a ground made of crystal.
It is lined with trees of treasure: Causal cultivation: His spiritual practice in the causal ground to attain the cause of Buddhahood. Because of his causal cultivation of the extremely profound and wondrous, [the trees] are thus said to be of treasure. Lined with trees of treasure means that on the long Bodhi-path to enlightenment, the trees of treasure are in lines.
“It is lined with trees of treasure” ․It is lined with trees of treasure: Causal cultivation: His spiritual practice in the causal ground to attain the cause of Buddhahood. Because of his causal cultivation of the extremely profound and wondrous, [the trees] are thus said to be of treasure. Lined with trees of treasure means that on the long Bodhi-path to enlightenment, the trees of treasure are in lines. This requires spiritual practice, the causes from spiritual practice. So, “his spiritual practice in the causal ground to attain the cause of Buddhahood” means Venerable Kasyapa will attain Buddhahood in the future. He had engaged in such spiritual practices, so in the future he will attain the fruit of Buddhahood and his own pure land. His land will be that magnificent. “His causal cultivation” is the causes that he cultivated. What are the causes that he cultivated? “The extremely profound and wondrous.” These causes are very profound and wondrous. I often tell everyone that all things in the world have their causes. Theses cause are the principles. Everyone has the cause to attain Buddhahood; this cause is True Suchness. It is extremly subtle and wondrous, so it is called a treasure. Thus, “It is lined with trees of treasure”; on “the long Bodhi-path to enlightenment,” there are [trees] like Bodhi-trees. This path to awakening has trees of treasure in lines. It is very orderly, line after line.
Cords made of gold are used to border its roads: This is because he upholds proper precepts. He accepts and upholds the rules and precepts without any violations. He upholds precepts and stays pure, like following the line marking a boundary. He constantly walks the Middle Way, therefore he attains the fruit of golden cords bordering its roads.
“Cords made of gold are used to border its roads. This is because he upholds proper precepts” ․Cords made of gold are used to border its roads: This is because he upholds proper precepts. He accepts and upholds the rules and precepts without any violations. He upholds precepts and stays pure, like following the line marking a boundary. He constantly walks the Middle Way, therefore he attains the fruit of golden cords bordering its roads. If we want to be able to attain “cords made of gold used to border its roads,” a state like that, we must uphold the precepts flawlessly. We cannot let them leak away, so we must accept and uphold the precepts and not transgress or violate them. We must be earnestly mindful of this.
“He upholds precepts and stays pure, like following the line marking a boundary.” This is like how we follow the precepts; these very pure precepts must be followed, like using an ink line. In order for boundaries to be marked, first an ink line is used. It is stretched taut and then released, naturally making a straight line. In the same way, the Dharma is like an ink line. We snap the ink line then follow the line onward. This is how we uphold precepts and follow rules. The Buddha engaged in spiritual practice this way, so if we follow Him the same way, then we will be correct.
So, we “follow the line marking a boundary.” We follow the boundary line, which means to uphold precepts. “Thus, he attains the fruit.” If we maintain this cause, the cause of upholding precepts, then naturally the land when we have when we attain Buddhahood will be magnificent like this, with “golden cords bordering its roads.”
Precious flowers are scattered everywhere, and everything around is clear and pure: In the original causal ground, when, with the Buddha-mind, he entered the state of non-arising patience, he cultivated Brahma-conduct everywhere and was pure as a shining pearl. Thus he attains the fruit of precious flowers scattered everywhere; wherever he goes will be majestic and pure.
“Precious flowers are scattered everywhere, and everything around is clear and pure” Precious flowers are scattered everywhere, and everything around is clear and pure: In the original causal ground, when, with the Buddha-mind, he entered the state of non-arising patience, he cultivated Brahma-conduct everywhere and was pure as a shining pearl. Thus he attains the fruit of precious flowers scattered everywhere; wherever he goes will be majestic and pure. “Precious flowers are scattered everywhere, and everything around is clear and pure.” We naturally have this kind of original causal ground, our originally pure causal ground. “When, with the Buddha-mind, he entered the state of non-arising patience” means when we engage in spiritual practice, we must have the Buddha-mind. In spiritual practice we must use the Buddha-mind, and we must go among people to actualize the Six Paramitas in all actions. This is to “cultivate Brahma-conduct everywhere”; we do this universally. “Precious flowers are scattered everywhere.” Precious treasures fall and are scattered all over the ground. Our mind is like this in spiritual practice. These treasures are scattered all over the earth.
So, when we go among people, everywhere is our spiritual training ground, and everything is our Dharma-treasure. If we have an attitude like this, then we can cultivate Brahma-conduct everywhere. “Brahma-conduct” means purifying practices, practices that are without afflictions. Everything we have done is to give of ourselves to sentient beings so we can be “as pure as a shining pearl.” We can be just like a shining pearl. “Thus he attains the fruit of precious flowers scattered everywhere.” This is how we must engage in spiritual practice, as if there are treasures all over the ground, and everywhere is magnificent.
The land is pure in response to the cause of having an impartial and pure mind. The analogy of debris and brambles is in response to the condition of having a scattered mind and evil thoughts. The analogy of excrement and other impurities is in response to the effect of having a mind defiled by ignorance, doubt and arrogance. Pits and knolls are the retributions in response to flattering, crooked and jealous minds.
“The land is pure in response to the cause of having an impartial and pure mind.” The land is pure because we have practiced impartiality in the past. In the earlier text it says that the land is pure and very level. So, if we want the land to be pure, we need to practice impartiality ․The land is pure in response to the cause of having an impartial and pure mind. The analogy of debris and brambles is in response to the condition of having a scattered mind and evil thoughts. The analogy of excrement and other impurities is in response to the effect of having a mind defiled by ignorance, doubt and arrogance. Pits and knolls are the retributions in response to flattering, crooked and jealous minds. I hope that all of us have a compassionate, impartial and pure mind, so in the future what we can attain in response will be such level lands. Everyone, please always be mindful!